Chapter 40
“You know staying up late is bad for your health, so you decided to just pull an all-nighter instead?”
Ning Xi was curious.
After all, looking at the dark circles under Jiang Sheshe’s eyes, it didn’t look like she had just stayed up until one or two in the morning.
Jiang Sheshe: …
The guilt she had been harboring all night vanished in an instant.
“None of your business!” Jiang Sheshe muttered under her breath.
Seeing Ning Xi stand up as if to head her way, Jiang Sheshe immediately chickened out. “I mean… thanks for the concern.”
After putting on her shoes, Ning Xi gave Jiang Sheshe a bewildered look and then headed downstairs.
[Hahahaha, Jiang Sheshe, why are you so cowardly now?]
[As expected, she’s much better behaved after getting a reality check…]
[Jiang Sheshe: Acting tough with her words, but her courage is tiny.]
In the first-floor dining room.
Ning Xi was completely stunned when she saw the dining table covered in tea eggs, sticky rice shaomai, millet cakes, multigrain porridge, eight-treasure porridge, oatmeal…
Just then, Xie Lanchen walked out of the kitchen carrying a dish of steamed eggs.
Today, he was dressed casually in a black T-shirt. Facing the light, strands of black hair fell over his forehead, and his fair, sharp Adam’s apple bobbed. His overall aura felt much more approachable, giving off a sort of… a sort of…
[He gives off such house-husband vibes.]
[I suddenly have the urge to flirt with him.]
[Who can even tell the difference between Xie Lanchen and my husband now?]
Ning Xi glanced at Xie Lanchen, and then her gaze fell back onto the table full of breakfast.
“What time did you get up to make all this?”
Xie Lanchen’s lips curved into an upward arc. “Around five, I think.”
As he said this, Xie Lanchen happened to pass by Ning Xi and placed the steamed eggs on the table.
Ning Xi’s eyes uncontrollably drifted to his hands.
Slender.
Well-defined joints.
A pair of hands that clearly belonged to someone pampered and high-born could actually get up at five in the morning to make such a huge breakfast…
Ning Xi murmured, “So you actually love cooking this much?”
Xie Lanchen paused, turned to look at Ning Xi, and lowered his gaze to meet hers. “Not really.”
Ning Xi was confused.
“I only like cooking for my friends.” A lazy smile played at the corners of Xie Lanchen’s mouth.
His tone sounded like he was joking, yet also extremely serious.
Ning Xi smiled along with him. “It’s so good to be your friend. I want to be friends with you for the rest of our lives.”
To hell with any villain setting.
Xie Lanchen was clearly just a silly, kind-hearted person who loved giving to his friends and throwing money at them!
[Ning Xi, you’re so confused! Why be friends for life? Wouldn’t being his wife be better?]
[“I only like cooking for my friends.” If this isn’t a confession, then what is?]
[Anyway, I wouldn’t get up at five to cook breakfast for a friend.]
[Even Zhang Fei wouldn’t make a whole table of breakfast just because Guan Yu said he liked porridge.]
“Go ahead and eat first. I still have a few things in the kitchen,” Xie Lanchen said with a smile.
“There’s more?”
Ning Xi watched Xie Lanchen’s retreating back, completely shocked.
Xie Lanchen clearly just loves cooking!
“Oh, why are you all alone?” Fu Zhi’s familiar, punchable voice suddenly rang out.
Ning Xi gave a dry laugh. “I’m afraid half a person would scare you to death.”
Fu Zhi choked on his words.
He didn’t continue to pick a fight with Ning Xi. Instead, his gaze landed on the breakfast.
“This is the breakfast Xie Lanchen made? Doesn’t look like much,” Fu Zhi said in a strange tone.
Ning Xi frowned. “If you don’t want to eat, then don’t. You’re eating for free and you still have so much to say.”
Fu Zhi stared intently at Ning Xi and asked with a tense face:
“Why are you defending him so much?”
Ning Xi was amused by Fu Zhi’s questioning tone. He was about to eat breakfast made by someone else and yet he was being picky? Did he really think the whole world treated him like a young master?
“You think he’s more important than me, your friend, now? Ning Xi, have you forgotten who you’re participating in this variety show with?”
Seeing that Ning Xi wasn’t answering his question, Fu Zhi’s tone grew even heavier.
[Fu Zhi: Speak, do you love me or him?]
[The way Fu Zhi is being so unreasonable is exactly like someone questioning why Ning Xi had a change of heart, hahahaha.]
Ning Xi found Fu Zhi’s tone somewhat baffling. “Of course I remember, but we’re participating in a friend-making variety show, not a roast battle.”
Did Fu Zhi think she was only doing the right thing if she joined him in being mean and mocking others?
Fu Zhi clenched his fists, his expression dark and unpredictable.
Just then, Xie Lanchen heard the noise and came over. Fu Zhi quickly adjusted his emotions and gave Xie Lanchen a fake smile.
“I’m so sorry, I’m not really a fan of flour-based foods. It looks like I won’t be able to eat the breakfast you worked so hard to make.”
Xie Lanchen smiled as warmly as a gentle breeze. “It’s fine. I didn’t make a portion for you anyway.”
Fu Zhi: ?
Ning Xi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
[A jealous battlefield?]
[I didn’t expect Xie Lanchen to actually clap back at Fu Zhi, hahaha! This fits the vibe of that face of his!]
[Fu Zhi is just too sharp-tongued. He snaps at everyone like he’s looking for a fight. Only Ning Xi can keep him in check.]
[Think about it from another angle: toxic solo stans hate the real sister-in-law the most. As Ning Xi’s toxic solo stan, did Fu Zhi sense that she treats Xie Lanchen differently? Is that why he’s targeting him?]
[Girl, you really know how to ship them.]
Just as the atmosphere in the dining room reached a breaking point…
Shen Yibai walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray.
He looked at Fu Zhi. “I made breakfast for you.”
Xie Lanchen also explained to Ning Xi, “Mr. Shen told me this morning that Mr. Fu doesn’t like flour-based foods and said he would prepare something for him. That’s why I didn’t make a portion for Mr. Fu.”
Ning Xi gave a couple of “ohs.”
She hadn’t thought much of it to begin with, but she hadn’t expected Xie Lanchen to go out of his way to share this with her.
Only Fu Zhi sneered inwardly. This matter clearly concerned him, yet Xie Lanchen pointedly explained it to Ning Xi. His intentions were as clear as day!
And what happened next made Fu Zhi dislike Xie Lanchen even more:
Xie Lanchen naturally sat down beside Ning Xi.
It was as if the two of them were friends who had known each other for years!
“I didn’t know which porridge you’d like, so I made a little of everything.”
Xie Lanchen looked at Ning Xi, a faint smile floating in his eyes.
Ning Xi took a sip of the Eight-Treasure Porridge and paused.
This taste… it was delicious!
And it felt a bit familiar.
She felt as if she had tasted it somewhere before.
“It’s good!” Ning Xi praised.
Then she tried the other things Xie Lanchen had made one by one, only to find that every single one miraculously suited her palate.
Before she knew it, she had eaten more than half.
“I heard there’s an outdoor shoot today. It’ll probably be physically demanding, so it’s fine if I eat a bit more.” After thinking for a few seconds, Ning Xi chose to keep eating.
Xie Lanchen nodded in agreement, looking like he would support anything Ning Xi said.
[Right, keep telling yourself that, you little glutton.]
[Seeing how much Ning Xi is enjoying it, you can tell Xie Lanchen’s cooking must be great. Heavens, who on earth is dating a man like this-handsome, talented, good-tempered, and can cook?]
[Ning Xi is dating him [Rose]]
After Ning Xi finished her breakfast, she noticed that on the other side, the brothers Fu Zhi and Shen Yibai were still slowly eating their salmon salad.
Ning Xi looked at Fu Zhi and offered him her sincere wishes with her eyes: *Eat faster, preferably so you choke.*
Her “blessing” for Shen Yibai was: *Make sure to eat as little as possible, lest your stomach ailment actually gets better.*
Sensing Ning Xi’s gaze, Fu Zhi turned his head away arrogantly, refusing to look at her.
By the time he looked back at Ning Xi, he found she had already run off to the living room to watch TV. Suddenly: …
Ning Xi casually flipped to an entertainment channel, which happened to be playing a short educational video about the ocean:
“The Black Sea is known as the most terrifying sea in the world, with an average depth of 1,271 meters and a maximum depth of 2,210 meters. No life can survive here…”
Jiang Sheshe happened to be coming downstairs at that moment.
Standing on the stairs, she first took a sneaky glance at Ning Xi. Once she was sure Ning Xi wasn’t at the dining table, she continued to creep down quietly.
[She looks so suspicious.]
[Is Jiang Sheshe starting to act crazy like Ning Xi?]
[Ning Xi: Please bring your comment history when we go to court.]
“No matter how deep this sea is, can it be deeper than the hearts of the Guests on this show?”
Ning Xi commented after finishing the video.
Everyone fell silent.
Jiang Sheshe, who was coming downstairs, stumbled. Her gaze became shifty.
Was Ning Xi making a veiled accusation against her?
Just then, the phones of all the Guests chimed simultaneously with a notification from the Program Team.
[Youai Butler: Tonight, the seven Guests will record an outdoor game project together. All Guests, please come to the lawn now. The winners and losers of a mini-game will determine your mode of transportation to the outdoor location!]